Let there be Lively

Having conquered the real world, Google has created a virtual one. But will we want to live there? A room with a view: Google's new world Yesterday, virtual worlds such as Habbo Hotel and Second Life, in which people interact with each other through their alter egos, or avatars, were niche markets, albeit very large ones; today, they may be on the road to becoming a mass phenomenon. Why? Because Google, the most popular search engine on the planet, with a massive fan base, has moved in with its own virtual world, Lively (For the moment it is only on Pcs, not on Apple computers). The world offers users their own "virtual" rooms, which they can kit out from an inventory of armchairs, tables and lamp stands. I found it easy to do this; and to pull down a TV set from the inventory, then click on it and insert the web address of a... [read full story]